• Sponsor

    I need some help with bids…

    • Can bids be used to buy anything like minor complexes?
    • Can units purchased by a bid be multi national?
    • Can units purchased by a bid be placed anywhere?
    • What if you’re in a group game… how do bids get split?
    • Is a S. Bomber on Moscow the only popular set up change for balance?

    Thanks.


  • Usually over on triplea, standard rules for bids include 1 unit per terr, or SZ max, no units placed where there are not already units, and yes the bid can be split between whichever countries the Allied player wants.

    Most common bidded unit is the sub in 98 for britain, along with some ground in egy/sudan, or a couple of units for China to make stacking Szech on the first turn easier.

    I have seen trannies off SA for the brits, or off NZ for Anzac used very effictively. A ftr for Scotland to make 111 a pain on G1 is also used often, or the xtra bird in the med instead of the sub.

  • Sponsor

    Can anything be purchased like complexes, bases, or tech rolls?

  • Liaison TripleA '11 '10

    I allow TECH bids.  (Pick the techs you want, and go.  Doesn’t mean the game has tech necessarily)  It’s like Axis Advantage in classic.

    Complex’s or bases can be bid, but the bid # is getting dangerously high at that point.

    I mean, starting with a complex in Egypt or Queensland would be advantageous, but why not put a russian bomber in vladivostock?


  • In my experience, no bidding of buildings, but like most rules its open to agreement and modification.

  • '21 '18

    Is there anyone playing without bids? My two usual opponents and I are playing these games since 2001 and we never used any bids. Each sides won their share of victories and we had a lot of fun every time… Maybe we could try it in our next game but in the same time, I’m not sure about it. Perhaps it will break some of the challenge, some of the fun we have playing without bids.

  • Customizer

    We never play with bids in my group. Frankly, I think playing with bids is nonsense, like coddling to crybabies. “I will play the Allies, but only if I get X # of IPCs extra or more units to place at start”.
    I think the starting setup is just fine the way it is for Axis or Allies. We have had wins on both sides with the starting setup just like it is.

  • Liaison TripleA '11 '10

    I am in agreement with both of you.

    But online, it’s also a method to determine sides, and it “can” make the game more interesting.

  • Sponsor

    Our group plays with only a few house rules…

    Setup

    • Soviet Union player plays China (not France)
    • United States player plays ANZAC (not China)
    • United Kingdom player plays France (not ANZAC)

    Research & Development

    • Buy one or more research dice in a turn and receive one free roll

    Movement Phases

    • Once combat and noncombat phases are declared over, units may not be moved.

    Now I’m considering house ruling the setup to include (1X) S. Bomber on Moscow


  • @Young:

    Movement Phases

    • Once combat and noncombat phases are declared over, units may not be moved.

    As in you can’t take back a decision or if you forget something you are SoL?  I assume it is just like normal play just you are very strict.


  • @knp7765:

    We never play with bids in my group. Frankly, I think playing with bids is nonsense, like coddling to crybabies. “I will play the Allies, but only if I get X # of IPCs extra or more units to place at start”.
    I think the starting setup is just fine the way it is for Axis or Allies. We have had wins on both sides with the starting setup just like it is.

    I am honestly surprised that the axis don’t win a clear majority of your games.


  • Only if they are playing with the victory city rule, which of course is the rule, but in my games we don’t use them. They are unrealistic and foolish, (im sorry if that offends).

    Europe, where the main battle is, can be losing terrible, on the verge of defeat, and Japan without even taking Anzac can win the whole game. It forces the US to spend incredibly inefficiently in the Pacific to not risk that happening.

    Outside of the, I have not played enough games, roughly 10 or so to fully understand the balance as old strategies have to be modified still.

    But only 6 victory cities in the Pacific to win the whole game, that is foolish. Tokyo, Shanghai, Hong Kong, and the Philippines are automatic. Calcutta is automatic too unless the US foolishly goes on the offensive in the Pacific and defensive in Europe, or worse, attempt to go on the offensive in both. That only leave Hawaii. Hawaii, an insignificant island that if taken over and kept for one turn, ends the game. Foolish. It again, forces the US to overspend to avoid even the risk.

    It should be 8 victory cities, not 6. So yes that would include Sydney and Los Angeles. It would have to be that overwhelming to ignore what is happening in Europe.

  • Sponsor

    @ghr2:

    @Young:

    Movement Phases

    • Once combat and noncombat phases are declared over, units may not be moved.

    As in you can’t take back a decision or if you forget something you are SoL?  I assume it is just like normal play just you are very strict.

    Yes… that’s right.

  • Customizer

    @eddiem4145:

    Only if they are playing with the victory city rule, which of course is the rule, but in my games we don’t use them. They are unrealistic and foolish, (im sorry if that offends).

    Europe, where the main battle is, can be losing terrible, on the verge of defeat, and Japan without even taking Anzac can win the whole game. It forces the US to spend incredibly inefficiently in the Pacific to not risk that happening.

    Outside of the, I have not played enough games, roughly 10 or so to fully understand the balance as old strategies have to be modified still.

    But only 6 victory cities in the Pacific to win the whole game, that is foolish. Tokyo, Shanghai, Hong Kong, and the Philippines are automatic. Calcutta is automatic too unless the US foolishly goes on the offensive in the Pacific and defensive in Europe, or worse, attempt to go on the offensive in both. That only leave Hawaii. Hawaii, an insignificant island that if taken over and kept for one turn, ends the game. Foolish. It again, forces the US to overspend to avoid even the risk.

    It should be 8 victory cities, not 6. So yes that would include Sydney and Los Angeles. It would have to be that overwhelming to ignore what is happening in Europe.

    I think using the victory cities is really the only way the Axis will get wins. If you played all out domination, I don’t think the Axis could sustain the drive and would in most games eventually get overwhelmed by the Allies.
    As for the Pacific Theater, I don’t think it’s as easy as you make it seem. Yes, Japan starts with 2 VCs and 2 more are pretty much a given. Calcutta does require a dedicated effort though and if Japan commits too much to it, they can lose elsewhere. I have seen games where Japan got India, but it took so much effort that it cost them the war. Of course, that was with heavy US spending in the Pacific, which in my opinion, is usually the best way for the Allies to win. If the USSR and UK can fend off Germany/Italy well enough, the US should go heavy Pacific and try to take out or neutralize Japan as quickly as possible, then focus attention in the Atlantic/Europe.
    If the US tries to split their forces, they won’t have enough in either theater to make a difference and if they go after Germany first, Japan can run hog-wild in the Pacific.
    I think Sydney is just too hard to take for Japan being so far away from her factories. Hawaii is too close to the US and therefore too easy for the US to take back. As for San Francisco, if Japan is able to take and hold San Francisco, then the US is doing something really wrong.

  • Sponsor

    Could someone please list 7 or 8 popular ways bids are being used (what units and where). Thanks.


  • Depending on the bid value, any combination of:

    • Subs in 98 and maybe 91

    • Chinese land units

    • Ground around Egypt/Sudan/Alex

    • Transport off South Africa

    • Fig in gib or scotland

    • If you allow it, anzac inf in NG

    • Russian Bomber

    Some may even say land units for russia, but I don’t see them being too useful.

  • Sponsor

    Thanks… that’s very helpfull.


  • Want me to edit the post for reasons behind the bids?

  • Sponsor

    @ghr2:

    Want me to edit the post for reasons behind the bids?

    Not necessary, but thanks anyways.

  • '15 '14

    @knp7765:

    We never play with bids in my group. Frankly, I think playing with bids is nonsense, like coddling to crybabies. “I will play the Allies, but only if I get X # of IPCs extra or more units to place at start”.
    I think the starting setup is just fine the way it is for Axis or Allies. We have had wins on both sides with the starting setup just like it is.

    I clearly disagree here when saying “playing with bids is nonsense per definition”. If in your group everybody thinks the game is perfectly balanced, fine.
    However I think you’d agree that many people think there might be a slight imbalance plus some people prefer a particular side and thus bids are imo the perfect tool to avoid many clashes:

    1. If people think the game is imbalanced they have a very fair and effective system to determine how much they think it is imbalanced and can exactly determine what they think makes the game balanced.

    2. If both players think they can play one side better (they still can think the game is balanced but they simply think they cannot play one site perfectly), the bid gives the player an advantage who has to play with the powers he thinks he plays worse –> Otherwise you need to draw the sides which could lead to “I only lost because I had to play Allies/Axis”

    So the bids are even a tool to determine not only to determine IF a game is balanced (this would also be shown be the win ratio of a single side with no bids) but also HOW imbalanced a game version is because the bids gives quantitative data.

    On top of that comes that balanced y/n also depends on the overall skill level of the top players. It is very likely that the level of top players increases over the years after the release of a new version as their strategies get more sophisticated. One could think that today the Axis are still in favor because the average bid is 8-10 for the Allies or so.
    However maybe today most players just don’t know how to play the Allies the best way. Maybe in 2 years people place bets to get Axis because Allied play became more sophisticated, who knows.

    tl:dr
    Bids are a great tool to quantitatively determine the current level of balancing of a game version  :-)

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